Shelby Farms Park Just Got More Awesome

Posted by Holly Whitfield |
August 27th 2016
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This coming Thursday September 1 is a big day in Memphis! Not only is it the day of the huge 901 Day event at AutoZone Park (fun, food, entertainment, fireworks, free!) it’s also the grand opening of the “Heart of the Park” new stuff at Shelby Farms Park.

The old visitor center was torn down (building materials were recycled, reused, or donated to Habitat For Humanity’s ReStore wherever possible). Here’s the shiny new one:

Photo by Leah Gafni

The porch has huge, quiet fans in the ceiling. Inside, there are restrooms, water fountains, a gift shop and the Kitchenette (coffee, snacks, etc.).

Buffalo.

Photo by Leah Gafni

Down the hill from the Visitor Center is a brand-new splash pad for kids. It will have limited hours in September. This thing is awesome.

In the newly expanded Patriot Lake, you’ll be able to kayak and canoe and paddleboard (which is totally new for Shelby Farms). There’s also a boat house where you can bring your own boats.

You’ll still be able to paddle boat (not to be confused with paddleboard) at the other lake, Pine Lake.

This muddy area is an artificially created (but naturally sustainable) wetland/marsh area. It’s expected to attract waterfowl and native plants and wildlife.

There’s also a neat walkway. There’s a deck area with some sweet lounge chairs that you can’t see in this picture.

Photo by Jeff Hulett

The walkway that connects the Visitors Center/Patriot lakeside to the new Event Stage.

Three words: Dog. Water. Fountain. (Also, bike racks.)

The new stage! It faces both ways, so performers can either face the lawn or face the water … you’ll be able to “pull up” in your boat to watch a show if you want.

Keep going along this path, and you’ll get to the FedEx Event Center/The Kitchen Bistro restaurant. Don’t get confused: the two spaces share a roof, but there are separate entrances. If you enter through The Kitchen, you can’t sneak into the Event Center and vice versa.

You’ll be able to rent out the Event Center. I imagine there are going to be a lot of weddings there. It’s got a great view and plenty of space.

The Kitchen Bistro will tentatively open to the public on August 31. I’ll have more details and hours and everything soon. I know they’re going to open for dinner first, then shortly thereafter will add lunch and brunch service.

The patio at The Kitchen:

As for their menu, I saw some photos of chicken skins and pork chops from a soft opening earlier this week. Here’s the dinner menu for the Chicago location (entrees there are $27 – $45).

There’s an open kitchen. They’ll have wine and later, maybe cocktails on tap. There’s a private dining room for renting out, too.

Photo by Jeff Hulett

Try to stay calm, but they’re going to have brunch soon.

Photo by Leah Gafni

This is the view from in front of The Kitchen/event center. That “beach” (no swimming, please) doubles as canoe parking. Because that’s a thing now!

If you’re a numbers/list person, here’s this:

increased Patriot Lake from 52 to 80 acres

added 55 acres of meadow including 3,000 new trees

built a new First Tennessee Foundation Visitor Center/ gift shop / Kitchenette

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Author: Holly Whitfield

I write about what’s going on with Memphis music, food, arts, events, sports, people, and culture. Memphians love Elvis and barbeque with a passion that must be seen to be believed, but there is so much more to this place.

Comments

Ken, I feel you. I really do. But, a few thoughts/additional comments.

First, those prices are from the Chicago location, so we might expect some lower ones here in Memphis. Not sure. They’ll have lunch and brunch which are traditionally less.

Second – and I didn’t go into this in this post because I’ll dedicate a full post to The Kitchen Bistro after I actually eat there – but this is most definitely a “real” restaurant, at least in any commonly used definition. It’s a concept founded by Kimbal Musk (brother of the Tesla guy) who has dedicated his restaurants to making high-quality, farm-fresh food. It’s not being operated by Shelby Farms so it’s not the Shelby Farms Restaurant, it’s another location of The Kitchen Bistro run by professional restaurant folks including trained chefs, cooks, etc. The facilities are beyond lovely, the view of the lake is unique in Memphis, and the staff I interacted with during the tour were professional. Anyways, that price point is high for someone like me to eat at on a regular basis and I’m not defending it, but I do think it will be on par with other local eateries at that price point. Stay tuned!